Climbing downward elbow?

[white devil]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6146953379358958637&q=boxing

just wondering guys,im not muay thai expert,but do you really train this kind of crazy movement?

[Khun Kao]

Nah, not really. We teach some of those moves because we participate in Thai cultural events & festivals, and the crowd really loves seeing those types of moves. But not for fighting..... focusing on that move would literally be a waste of valuable training time.

[Abe]

More for show? can't see how that move would be effective agasint a decent fighter. Though those spinning elbows are awesome.

[white devil]

just what I tought, although i was hoping for it to be some old school type of muay thai such as muay boran or a more traditional form...

[chalambok]

Traditionally, this move is done with the foot pulled off of the knee and all the weight dropped onto the top of the head. It is then called "Cracking the Coconut." It almost always is set up with leg kick after leg kick, until it is possible to climb up the body, most often after the opponent has been forced to one knee. Needless to say, it is very hard to set up, and very hard to do. However, just tilt the video to the left 90 degrees and you can see how the actual elbow strike itself can be used against a takedown, single or double-leg. I do not agree it is a waste of time to practice, because it takes a lot of agility and agility drills are never wasteful. I do agree that the opportunity to use this can be very limited, and unless you are tremendously experienced will probably not think of it in the ebb and flow of a fight.

[Khun Kao]

Okay, you got me on that. Its not a "waste" to practice.

Heck, I even admit I have my guys practice this stuff for show. That's not a waste! But my point is that if you're are focusing on fighting, this is not a technique you'd want to spend a lot of time on.

[chalambok]

I agree totally, Khun Kao. Some things you rarely, if ever see in the ring. One in particular is a knee done as defense against a cross. In the TBA we call it the #2 Straight Knee. During a muay Thai fight, the knee is usually delivered during the clinch, but in the street a straight knee can be most devastating. Dropping the Coconut is how Nai Khanom Tom killed his last opponent during his famous fight for freedom, at least that iswhat we were taught at the Buddhai Swan. This picture here is from a demo at Chiang Mai and shows the end of that fight, Nai Khanom Tom being the one with his back to us.

[chalambok]

I agree totally, Khun Kao. Some things you rarely, if ever see in the ring. One in particular is a knee done as defense against a cross. In the TBA we call it the #2 Straight Knee. During a muay Thai fight, the knee is usually delivered during the clinch, but in the street a straight knee can be most devastating. Dropping the Coconut is how Nai Khanom Tom killed his last opponent during his famous fight for freedom, at least that is what we were taught at the Buddhai Swan. I am really sorry about the size of this picture. I editted it down but for some reason it transferred as large. I am using a borrowed computer that was thrown down by an irate girlfriend and messed up, evidently...lol Anyway, that's my story and i'm sticking to it.